North American Students visit SuDS+

A second group of North American students have visited our SuDS+ study area on an exchange scheme with Northumbria University.

Maura Putzer, Smith College, Massachusetts, USA

Alyssa Joseph University of Victoria, Vancouver, Canada

Elizabeth McKinnie, CU Boulder, Colorado, USA

Michael Saari, Indian University Bloomington, Indiana, USA

Manisha Vijay, University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Maryland, USA

What brings a group of American students to Stanley? Well, thanks to the International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) program and Northumbria University, five of us students were able to work with Dr. Anna Carter, visit the town, and engage with the exciting world of civic care research! On both June 8th and June 22nd, we were fortunate enough to volunteer alongside SuDS+ and collect soil, water, plant, and overall Stanley ecosystem data. Daniel, Eleanor, Jack, and Mark showed us how to conduct a BioBlitz and identify plants and animals using iNaturalist. Many of us had never before collected soil, water, and invertebrate data from a local creek, but the Wear Rivers Trust volunteers supported us as we learned how to use new tools.

We all come from different academic backgrounds, yet share an interest in using technology for social good, particularly as it pertains to the environment. Most of all, we are excited to work and speak with community members who can teach us about the needs and wants of this region. Though its time for us to journey home, we will carry our work with Stanley, SuDs+, and the Wear Rivers Trust into our future research. We would like to thank everyone who made this research possible, particularly Dr. Anna Carter, Cameron, Daniel, Eleanor, Mark and all the other volunteers at the Wear Rivers Trust!

Find out more about the Cheviot Terrace and Lenin Terrace SuDS+ schemes where we helped out.